Taxiway Signs

[smundye 0]

Hello folks.In spite of it's WWII historic relevance, MS didn't make a very good job of Manston (EGMH) airfield in FS2004 and, as there are no updates in the library, I have redone it in AFCAD2 to comply with both Google Earth and the UK AIS data.My one remaining problem is with the visual taxiway signs i.e taxiway 'E' shows up as taxiway 'D'.I have a whole host of scenery creation/update programs but must admit to never having really learnt to use them properly.Having now ploughed through countless 'readme', 'tutorial' etc. files I have found no reference to any library files that may help and I am still no wiser about how to solve this problem.Any advice would be most welcome.RegardsStuart

[meshman 109]

The AFCAD file can be decompiled down to XML using the decompiler by Winfried Orthmann, available here in the file library. XML "code" is just plain test, with special formatting (simplified term of mine). You could then take the XML and load it into either a text editor like Notepad or an XML editor. Search for Taxisigns to find that section and then do a simple edit of E to D and whatever else. Save the file, with an XML extension, drag on top of the BGLComp.exe file to recreate your AFCAD program.Now repositioning signs in FS9 is more effort. But the simple task of altering what's already there should be pretty easy.

[smundye 0]

Thanks for reply.I have named the taxiways correctly using ADCAD2 but my understanding is that it cannot affect the visual taxiway signs.However, I did as you suggested using BGL2XML and searched for anything to do with taxiways but could find nothing relating to taxiway signs.I can remove the current incorrect ones with 'exclude' files but can't figure out how to obtain new signs and place them correctly.

[scott967 62]

I use scenegenx build 61 to move and edit fs9 taxisigns. An alternative is to use the FSX designer ADE, but that only works if you have the FSX bglcomp (I think) so you can get at the xml code to recompile using fs9 bglcomp.scott s..

[scruffyduck 4]

Dealing with taxiway signs in FS9 is somewhat difficult but if you do not want to move them then changing the text on them should not be that difficult. Bgl2Xml will decompile a FS9 bgl file to XML and the taxisigns should be in the XML. The text used to define sighs is a bit arcane but it is described in the SDK. The actual text section of each sign is called the label.If you modify the label correctly then you should be able to re-compile the xml using the FS9 BglComp.exeThere are some differences in the way that FS9 and FSX handle signs but the XML code is the same

[smundye 0]

Thanks again for all your replies.Having read many tutorials, (I'm new to this scenery world), I eventually ended up using SceneGenX which seemed to do everything I needed.I modified the text on the eleven relevant taxiway signs (from 'D' to 'E') and created an 'exclude' around those I no longer wish to see from the default scenery. viz:-http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4795/anerror002js2.jpg http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1483/anerror005cy3.jpg So I thought I had cracked it, as other changes I made (added taxiway hold points with visual markers etc.) show up fine on FS9.But no! Those original default taxiway signs are still showing through :-http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/4411/anerror004kl3.jpg Where did I go wrong?Any help gratefully appreciated.

[meshman 109]

From what I recall, taxi signs in FS9 are based off a "master" sign and you must exclude the master to have the others follow. Just trying individual signs is very hit and miss, just as finding the master sign can be. That's why I had worked from the XML level when doing signs. But even attempting that IIRC the decompilers at that time changed the orientation of the signs by 180d, basically making Left - Right and vice versa. A quick search and replace in a text editor took care of that problem.

[scruffyduck 4]

That's correct. Taxi signs in FS9 are in groups and you need to exclude the master sign that the others are referenced from. At some large airports it is possible that there is more than one block of signs. It is possible that a large exclusion rectangle covering the airport would work for signs.If you are looking for signs in an AFCAD file you will not find any. Unless I am mistaken AFCAD does not allow the creation of manipulation of signs. Signs are not located in the bgl file with the airport. All signs for an AP file are in one place. Decompilers use algorithms to reconstruct the location of signs at an airport.

[smundye 0]

Well, thanks chaps .... I've got it fixed but I don't know why!!Having read your suggestions, I decided to create a number of 'exclude' zones to cover all the taxiway signs at the airport but in small groups.Obviously, I expected no taxiway signs to be visible (apart from my modified ones)and the idea was to remove the excludes one at a time to unmask the elusive 'master' sign.It didn't work like that!!!When I compiled it, only the default taxiway signs in the exclude zone surrounding my altered signs had disappeared and my new signs were there in all their glory :-beerchug .All the others, though in their own exclude zones, were still there!!Job done. :) So, for anyone else trying to do this exercise, I would suggest:-Put exclusion zones around all the default taxiway signs. Edit and position any that are wrong.When you recompile, those you have altered will show as you have made them and all the rest will still be there.Don't ask me to explain it though:-hmmm

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Stuart,It is simply a question of priorities.The exclusion will remove everything that was loaded before it, that is those signs (or anything else) below that entry in the scenery.cfg file.Then, the new signs will be loaded after the exclusion has been done.Perhaps an easier way to exclude signs in FS 9 is to draw one very large exclusion over the entire airport and only flag it to exclude the signs. That way there is no bothering with a lot of small exclusions.Best regards.Luis

[smundye 0]

Yep!Everything else works that way but Taxiway signs?Read my last again! :(

[scruffyduck 4]

>Yep!>>Everything else works that way but Taxiway signs?>>Read my last again! :( Not sure there is a very good explanation - it is just the way things work in FS9..........not always the way we expect them to

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Sure, Stuart, works for everything, including taxiway signs.Here is a typical airport modification:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190312.jpgAfter all the clutter is hidden, you can see the exclusion over the entire airport, only for taxiway signs:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190313.jpgThen, simply make sure that the exclude bgl is the first to be read in the local scenery folder, for example, by putting a "0" at the start of its name. Quick and simple, always works.Best regards.Luis

[scott967 62]

Just one caution if you use bglcomp to compile excludes -- there is IIRC a bug if you have multiple excludes in a single file, with different attributes for exclusion, only the attributes for the first exclusion is honored. This was fixed in the FSX sp1 bglcomp.A trick in SceneGenX, is that if you use "import bgl file" instead of "import default flight simulator scenery" it will create a list of all airports and scenery objects found, including taxisigns. The position of the "master" sign (or sometimes signs) reference point is given, which can be used for creating a small area exclude. Just select the desired airport and a conservative object search radius, and the appropriate master taxisigns will be pre-selected. Here I have opened AP948130.bgl and selected EGMH with a 3000 meter searh radius. It found 3 groups of taxisigns.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190317.jpgscott s..

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Thank you very much for pointing this out, Scott. We discussed this problem with Holger here a few years ago.As I remember, it seems that one cannot use a single exclude flag for each exclusion. Instead all the flags must accompany each exclusion for them to all be recognized. So, in this instance, excluding taxiway signs means this:excludeAllObjects = "FALSE"excludeBeaconObjects = "FALSE" excludeEffectObjects = "FALSE" excludeGenericBuildingObjects = "FALSE" excludeLibraryObjects = "FALSE" excludeTaxiwaySignObjects = "TRUE" excludeTriggerObjects = "FALSE" excludeWindsockObjects = "FALSE"Recent design tools respect this requirement.Best regards.Luis